Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2005-06: Kyle Beach made a brief appearance with the Silvertips towards the end of the season. Playing in just four games, Beach had three points (two goals, one assist). Beach made an impact in the post-season though. In nine games, Beach totaled four points (one goal, three assists) and 31 PIM.

2006-07: Playing in his first full season with the Silvertips, Beach made his presence known. He was third on the Silvertips in points with 61, third in goals with 29, fourth in assists, and first in both +/- (+27) and PIM (196). He was a force on the power play, scoring 18 of his 29 goals on the man advantage. He finished in the top five in the WHL in PIM, and led all rookies in that field. He was the seventh leading scorer amongst WHL rookies. Beach once again was a force in the post-season, leading all rookies in points with 11 (five goals, six assists). Beach’s stellar rookie year was rewarded with the Jim Piggott, annually given to the WHL Rookie of the Year.

2007-08: Having the tough task of following up a Rookie of the Year season, Kyle Beach did not miss a beat. He tallied 29 goals and 32 assists in 65 games along with 196 penalty minutes. He picked up 11 points in 11 playoff games last season, second on the Everett Silvertips to Peter Mueller (PHO). While his 61 points did not improve on last season's totals, scoring for the Everett team as a whole was off this season and Beach's emphasis on tough, physical play never waivered. Beach also played in the CHL Top Prospect Game.

2008-09: Beach appeared in 30 games with the Everett Silvertips and recorded 9 goals, 21 assists for 30 points before being traded to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. The winger appeared in 24 games with Lethbridge and scored 15 goals, 18 assists for 33 points. He was held to 1 goal, 1 assist in 10 playoff games. Beach accumulated 165 PIMs over the course of his 54-game season.

2009-10: Traded to the Spokane Chiefs prior to the start of the season, Beach finished his final junior season with a league-leading 52 goals to go along with 34 assists and 86 points in 68 games. He also earned 186 PIMs during the regular season. In 7 playoff games with Spokane, Beach scored 7 goals, 2 assists for 9 points. He was named a First Team All-Star by the WHL. The winger was scoreless in 4 regular season games in the AHL with the Rockford IceHogs but led the team with 3 goals in 4 AHL playoff games.

2010-11: Beach scored 36 points in 71 games as a rookie, finishing second among the team's first year players with 16 goals. He also earned 163 PIMs, including 11 fights, and a minus-24 rating, the worst mark on the team.

2011-12: Beach was limited to 19 games with AHL Rockford after suffering a shoulder injury in October that kept him out for 57 games. . Beach skated in the last 11 games of the season for Rockford; displaying both the scoring ability and pesky intensity of his rookie AHL season, when he had the second-most penalty minutes on the team. Beach scored 5 goals with 5 assists and was a much-improved even plus/minus with 30 penalty minutes.

2012-13: Beach bounced back from his shoulder injury the previous season and provided toughness and secondary scoring for Chicago's AHL affiliate Rockford. Beach led the IceHogs with 204 penalty minutes and was sixth on the team with 16 goals; finishing +1 with 10 assists in 66 games. Rockford finished third in the Midwest Division, two points behind Milwaukee for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Beach was re-signed by Chicago to a one-year contract as a restricted free agent in July 2013.

Talent Analysis

Beach has good size and can use it, but he is not overly-aggressive in the physical game. The winger makes more of an impact by getting under the skin of opponents rather than running them through the glass. His heavy shot, nose for the net, and sound offensive instincts make him a good goal-scorer, particularly on the power play. He tends to trail the play more often than impose his well on the ice, but playing a more assertive game could help make the next step to the NHL.

Future

Beach had trouble standing out in Rockford during the 2012-13 season, and is likely slated for the bottom-six with the IceHogs to open the season. While he has been passed up by other prospects in the system, the Blackhawks have signed him for the 2013-14 season and he will have a chance to earn another deal in Rockford.

Photo: Brandon Pirri earned an opportunity on Chicago’s second line and has responded with three goals, one assist in his last five games (courtesy of Robin Alam/Icon SMI)

The Chicago Blackhawks’ organizational depth has begun to break through to the NHL level in 2013-14. Led by Brandon Pirri, a handful of prospects have seen playing time in Chicago so far this season, while the depth on the wing and the blue line allowed General Manager Stan Bowman to swing a trade for former-Blackhawk Kris Versteeg.

Photo: Brandon Saad's third period shorthanded goal sealed a 2-1 victory over San Jose on February 22nd, marking the Blackhawks' record-setting 17th straight game without a regulation loss to open the season. (courtesy of Robin Alam/Icon SMI)

The Chicago Blackhawks have had the arsenal of picks to draft for both quantity and quality in recent years, leading to a prospect pool with both variety and depth. The team's top five prospects may stand out due to their overall upside and the likeliness that they will reach that level of play, but the rest of the list is far less clear cut as the prospects have yet to distance themselves from the pack.

Photo: Defenseman Shawn Lalonde, the Blackhawks second pick at 68th overall, is one of several prospects from Chicago's 2008 class who is still developing at the minor league level. (courtesy of Jeanine Leech/Icon SMI)

Of the seven selections made by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2008, only sixth-round pick Ben Smith has seen any time with the NHL club. Several prospects remain in the minor league system and college level, but none of them are surefire NHL prospects at this point in their careers.

Photo: The Rockford IceHogs second-leading scorer is winger Ben Smith, one of the many prospects with NHL experience in the Rockford lineup this season. (courtesy of Warren Wimmer/Icon SMI)

Expected by many to be among the top teams in the AHL this season, the Rockford IceHogs have put together another up-and-down start to a season. Even with several players on the roster who are expected to be full-time NHL players when the season begins, the team has managed a 17-16-1-1 record so far in 2012-13. There have been good stretches – four separate stretches have seen the 'Hogs rattle off at least three consecutive wins – but they are always accompanied by times when the team has struggled to come away with any points in the standings.

Photo: One of the top defensive prospects in the Chicago Blackhawks prospect pool, Dylan Olsen will look to continue rounding out his game in Rockford in 2012-13. (courtesy of Robin Alam/Icon SMI)

A significant number of early-round draft picks in recent years have put the Chicago Blackhawks system among the deepest organizations in the league. Although there may not be much in the way of blue-chip talent, the system has multiple NHL-caliber prospects at each position and plenty of players competing at the AHL level.